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Next manager on Tottenham’s radar has winning pedigree

By Gary Pearson

BARCELONA, SPAIN - JANUARY 04: Ernesto Valverde, Manager of FC Barcelona looks on prior to the Liga match between RCD Espanyol and FC Barcelona at RCDE Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN - JANUARY 04: Ernesto Valverde, Manager of FC Barcelona looks on prior to the Liga match between RCD Espanyol and FC Barcelona at RCDE Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) /
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According to the notorious, prolifically tweeting Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham have approached former Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde about the vacant role. 

After hitting rock bottom in their quest to hire a new manager, the only way is up for Tottenham Hotspur. The entire scenario revolving Gennaro Gattuso had epic failure written all over it from the onset.

Now it seems Tottenham are keen on pursuing discussions with Valverde, who was at the helm of the Spanish side’s successive La Liga title seasons in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

There’s no questioning his winning pedigree

Valverde is superior in every way to Gattuso, though that doesn’t take much. The 57-year-old Spaniard has 10 team honours to his name, four of which coming during his time at Barcelona.

He also won the Spanish Super Cup in 2015 with Athletic Bilbao and enjoyed a convincingly successful spell during his time in Greece as Olympiacos’ manager.

Much like Paulo Fonseca with Shakhtar Donetsk, the Greek Super League isn’t exactly home to a collective of world beaters. Panathinaikos joins Olympiacos as the two most renowned Greek Super League sides, with AEK and P.A.O.K, to a massively lesser extent, also known in continental Europe as teams with a semblance of pedigree.

Regardless, Valverde led Olympiacos to Super League titles in each of the three years he was at the helm. Olympiacos won three Super League titles in a four-season span, from 2008-2012. The only year they didn’t win the league during that period, in 2009-2010, occurred when Valverde was on a brief, one-year assignment managing Villarreal.

Upon his return to Greece, Olympiacos won back-to-back Super League  titles before Valverde once again exited the club, this time destined for Valencia. After a single season in charge, Valverde was off again. He took control of Athletic Bilbao in 2013, where he enjoyed his longest tenure since beginning his career as a manager in 2001.

There is no questioning his winning pedigree, but it feels like Valverde could be another stopgap option for a Spurs side desperate for a semblance of stability. Though Valverde has enjoyed longer postings in his last two jobs, lasting four years Bilbao and almost three in his most recent tenure at Barcelona.

He represents a marked improvement over recent candidates in Tottenham’s never ending search for a manager. Let the carousel of rumoured candidates commence. I wouldn’t be surprised to see talks advance before negotiations yet again famously collapse.

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